Darkness Falls (31 page)

Caro shook her head.

‘I’m not sure I can do it.’

‘Well I can. If it’s the only way I can find out who killed my dad, I’ll do anything necessary. This is a race, Caro. We’ve got to get to them first. If they find out what I am and what we’re doing, then we’re all dead.’

She couldn’t find Gabriel anywhere. She did a circuit of the dance floor and elbowed her way through the bar, but he had disappeared. Giving in to her paranoia, she changed tack and looked for Jessica instead, but quickly spotted the lady in red discussing wine with Nicolas Osbourne. She was just going to check the decking area outside when she ran into Miss Holden.

‘Enjoying yourself?’

‘Not much.’

‘I see Gabriel’s looking well.’

‘Oh, God. Miss, I’m sorry, I should have come to thank you.’

‘Don’t be silly, April, there’s no need. How’s he coping with it, anyway?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, it’s going to be hard to go from human to undead. He may be the first to choose that path with full knowledge of the horror.’

‘Horror?’

‘He willingly died, April. He felt his life slip away from him, for the second time; and he did it for you. That’s a pretty big thing.’

‘Pretty big thing?’ said a voice. April turned to see Dr Tame standing behind them.
How much did he hear?

She glared at him, remembering the last time they had met, the way he had bullied and terrified her all in the name of ‘the truth’, but Tame didn’t seem to notice or if he did, didn’t seem to care, just standing there with that smug half-smile on his pale face.

‘Oh, I was just talking to Miss Holden about applying for Oxford,’ said April as smoothly as she could. ‘Mr Sheldon says I can do it. Do you think I’ve got a chance?’

‘I should think that is a question for the lovely Miss Holden,’ said Tame. ‘What’s your verdict, Annabel?’

April could see that Miss Holden disliked him and she could also see she hated his using her first name in such a familiar manner.

‘As I was saying to April,’ she answered, ‘it’s all about how much work she’s prepared to put in. She’ll have to knuckle down this year and that’s going to have a significant impact on every area of her life. It’s quite an undertaking, should she choose it.’

I thought we were talking about my university prospects
, thought April,
not the war on the vampires
.

‘Well, I’m sure April is up to the task,’ said Tame, squeezing April’s arm and leaving his hand there a little too long. ‘Do you mind if I steal her away for a moment? There’s something I’d like to discuss with April if I may.’

‘Actually, I’ve got to go over to …’ began April, but Tame wasn’t listening and steered April towards the terrace area.

‘I’m glad Mr Sheldon brought it up, actually,’ said Dr Tame when he had dragged April away from the main party. ‘Because I’ve been meaning to ask you, April, what do you intend to do with your life?’

‘I’m sorry,’ she said, rubbing her arm. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Just trying to get a handle on the real April Dunne. Are you the sort to get a mundane job in an office? Do you want a high-flying career in the city? Or are you going to marry and become a yummy mummy?’

April looked around, searching for allies, someone she could wave over to save her. She didn’t like being here with this man; he made her flesh crawl. No, it was more than that; all her instincts told her Dr Tame was actively dangerous.

‘I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,’ said April. ‘I’m still weighing up my options.’

‘Weighing up your options,’ repeated Tame. ‘Yes, that’s good. But do you really think you have that many? I mean, really? Surely it’s all mapped out before you like a destiny.’

She went cold. Did he know something? He always seemed to know more than he said; it was unsettling. But then maybe this was another one of his nasty techniques.

‘Destiny?’ she stuttered.

‘Destiny, April. A fate you cannot escape no matter what.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Well, surely you’re going to follow the old man into journalism?’

Relief flooded through her.

‘Why do you say that?’

‘Your interest in English and History,’ he ticked the points off on his fingers, ‘and on poking your nose into other people’s business. Breaking into the headmaster’s office, searching private houses. Even the odd bit of amateur chemistry.’

She gaped at him. How did he know all that?

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Oh you know exactly what I’m talking about, April Dunne,’ he said, his eyes flashing. He reached out and grabbed her arm again.

‘Leave me alone,’ she gasped, but he pressed his fingers into her flesh, probing for nerves.

‘No, April. I will not leave you alone, no matter how much you squeal, no matter how hard your mother and grandfather try to make me back off. You are the key to this case and I
don’t know if you’re aware, but I have a reputation for getting results. I will keep pushing until I get what I want. And I
always
get what I want.’

She looked around for Caro, Gabriel, anyone. Where
was
he?

Suddenly Tame released her, a cruel smile on his face.

‘Looking for your boyfriend? I think you’ll find him down by the lake.’

April stood there, stunned, rubbing her arm. He was a madman. Someone must have seen them? She looked around, but everyone was engrossed in their own conversations, oblivious. And anyway, it was a school event – anyone seeing that scene would assume Tame was a teacher telling her off. She watched Tame go over to a group of besuited men including Nicholas Osbourne, shaking hands, laughing with them as if nothing had happened. And who would believe her, anyway? She thought about what she’d said about her mother only minutes ago and felt ashamed. Silvia wouldn’t stand for this sort of thing. She would have protected her. Talking of which, wasn’t she supposed to have an escort to look after her? Where
was
Gabriel?

She walked out onto the wooden terrace. There were chairs and tables with candles in the middle, but not many people out here despite the patio heaters. The decking went up to the edge of the lake which twinkled with the reflected party lights. It would be a romantic spot to be with your boyfriend – if only she could find him. April wrapped her arms around herself. God, it was cold. She was feeling it more since her injuries. They had healed well, but she still didn’t feel completely whole, completely solid. She wondered if she ever would again.

Where is he?
she thought with irritation. She stepped down off the decking and walked a little way along the path. She needed some air after her encounter with Tame, anyway. She wished her dad was here. She remembered her mother toasting him at the start of the Osbournes’ Winter Ball. He’d loved a good party.
Where are you, Daddy? Are you watching over us? I hope so, because I could certainly do with some looking after at
the moment
. Just then she stopped. She heard a scuffed foot on the path and hushed voices. Ahead, she could just make out a couple standing together. April stopped. She didn’t want to disturb their intimacy, but something made her linger for a moment. The boy put his hand up to the girl’s face, gently pushing a strand of hair from her eyes, then bent down to kiss her on the cheek. It was a tender moment and she felt as if she was intruding. Embarrassed, April stepped back quickly, her shoe scraping the path. In that moment, the boy looked up and April could see his face in the moonlight. It was Gabriel. With Jessica. Cool, pretty Jessica from the bookshop, the same Jessica Gabriel had said was just someone he ‘used to know’, someone whose relationship with him was ‘complicated’.

Of course it was
, she thought.
Of
course
it was
.

‘April,’ said Gabriel, but April was already running. She ran past the marquee, back along the path following the lake. She had to get away from him. From them –
was
there a ‘them’? Of course there was, she’d been completely taken in. The way Gabriel had looked at her … she could feel her heart shattering inside.

‘April!’

Gabriel had caught up with her. He grabbed her arm but she pulled it away.

‘Ouch!’ she shouted. ‘That hurts. Some bloody vampire tore it open, remember?’

Gabriel stopped and held his hands up in front of him.

‘Sorry, sorry. I forgot, but …’

‘It’s pretty obvious you forgot, isn’t it? It obvious that a few things have slipped your mind, too, little things like the fact that you have a
girlfriend
.’ She shouted the last word in Jessica’s direction, but the woman had gone.

‘Come on, April, this isn’t what it looks like. Jessica is a friend.’

‘A friend?’ she shouted, incredulous. ‘Is that what you call her? I
saw
you, Gabriel.’

‘April, it’s not what you think …’

‘Isn’t it?’ she shouted. ‘It never is. So why don’t you tell
me? No, on second thoughts, don’t. I’ve had enough of your explanations: “it’s complicated” or “you won’t understand”. I don’t want to hear your lies any more, Gabriel. In fact, I don’t even want to see you again.’

She turned and began to stride away up the path, but Gabriel jumped in front of her. Without thinking, April balled up her first and punched him as hard as she could.

‘Bloody hell, April,’ said Gabriel, staggering backwards in surprise. ‘Just give me one minute to explain.’

‘And what are you going to say, exactly? “It’s not you, it’s me”? That you need space? You’re not ready for a relationship right now? Spare me. You’ve always got an excuse and I’m sick of it.’

She tried to push past him, but he stood his ground, anger on his face.

‘Get out of my way,’ said April.

‘No, not until you’ve heard what I’ve got to say.’

April gaped at him. ‘How
dare
you!’ she shouted. ‘How dare you stand there and make demands of me. I’ve lied for you, covered up for you, I’ve listened to your ridiculous stories. I’ve given you everything.’ April realised she was crying and angrily swiped away the tears. ‘I risked everything – I risked my
life
– to save you. And what do I get in return? “It’s not what it seems”, when I catch you kissing another girl. Well I think it
is
, Gabriel. I think it’s
exactly
what it seems. You’ve got your old life back and now you don’t need me any more.’

Gabriel stepped forward, trying to put his arms around her, but she stepped backwards, turning her ankle over in her heels.

‘Damn!’ she shouted in frustration, bending over and angrily pulling the shoe off. She flung it at him. ‘Here, a present for you. I won’t be needing to look beautiful any more, will I?’

‘April, you’ve got this completely wrong.’

‘No, Gabriel. I haven’t,’ she said. ‘All I wanted was for you to love me as much as I loved you, but no. That was too much for you, wasn’t it? Your stupid destiny and your stupid’ – she flapped her hands in frustration – ‘your stupid
war
have to
come first, don’t they? It’s never me, Gabriel,’ she whispered. ‘It’s never me.’

‘It is, April. You’re everything to me.’

His face softened and he put his hand to her face, in exactly the same gesture she had seen him making towards Jessica only minutes ago.

‘NO!’ she shouted, slapping his hand away. ‘Don’t you dare!’

She bent down, pulled her other shoe off and, clutching it hard in her fist, ran up the path, away from the party, and away from him.

‘April!’ he shouted after her. ‘
April!
’

‘Leave me alone!’ she shouted. She could feel the cold stinging her feet as she ran, mud splattering her legs and soaking the hem of her lovely dress. She pulled it up and increased her pace around the lake and up the hill towards the top of the park. All she wanted was to get home, to get away from him, away from this whole mess. How had she got herself into this? Why had she fallen for his lies?

Finally her protesting lungs gave out and she stopped, looking back anxiously to make sure he wasn’t following her. There was nothing there, nothing except the dark lawns and the trees bending down towards the path. Panting, feeling the frost in her scraped toes now, she pushed on up the hill, not sure where the path was leading exactly, but knowing that home – and with luck, her mother – were in that direction. She put her hand over her mouth to stifle a sob.
Why?
she thought angrily, looking up towards the starry sky.
Why me? Why do you keep heaping all this on me? All I try to do is be a good person, help people out. And then they turn around and unload on me from a great height
. She wiped her nose and shook her head. Maybe everything Gabriel had ever told her was a complete load of rubbish. The vampire recruiters, the birthmark, the destiny, maybe it was all part of his elaborate lies. Maybe the incident with the knife on the Embankment had been a conjuring trick or hypnosis or something. She had no one else’s word for it. Well, Miss Holden’s, but maybe she was another one of Gabriel’s conquests, maybe they were in on it with him,
leading her on a wild goose chase. She was walking through a wooded area now, bushes and flower beds on either side, the thick trunks of the trees bending in towards her, their arching fingers blocking out the moonlight. April suddenly shivered and wished she hadn’t flung her shoe at Gabriel.